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Sudan has had five Olympic swimmers in its history, with none finishing in the top-40 in any event.
 
Cal junior Ziyad Saleem will become the sixth when he swims for Sudan at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this summer.
 
So how is it that an American-born swimmer who was raised in Milwaukee will represent Sudan? For that, look no further than the man who most inspires him.
 
Mohamed Saleem, Ziyad's father, emigrated to the United States in 1995. In every way, he is the embodiment of the American dream. A stellar athlete himself, Mohamed was an elite volleyball and soccer player.
 
However, Mohamed's father, Ali, did not approve of sports and preferred his son focus on getting an education. Undeterred, Mohamed moved in with his idea of kids just sitting around holding the remote or playing video games all day."
 
Ziyad's parents enrolled him in a local swim school through the Milwaukee County Parks and Recreation and he quickly showed an aptitude for the sport. When Ziyad was 6 years old, the swim school recommended he join a swim team. He ended up joining Schroeder YMCA, where he swam all through high school.
 
While he was excelling in the pool, Ziyad also enjoyed playing soccer and had thoughts of pursuing that instead. His father gently steered him in the direction of swimming, noting "you could do it until you are 90." Ziyad and his brothers would often accompany Mohamed to his adult rec league games, and he noted that his father's knees and back gave out before his desire to stop playing.
 
With his focus full on swimming, Ziyad continued to excel in the pool, winning the Wisconsin state title in the 100-yard backstroke in 2020. He was the first state champion in swimming for Rufus King High School in over 13 years. During this time, Ziyad noticed that his times were competitive and often better than the times the Sudanese National Team swimmers were recording.
 
"He came to me when he was a little bit younger and he said 'Hey, I think I can beat them.'" Mohamed recalled. "At the time it sounded like a joke! Then another time he showed me the numbers and we started to realize that at his age he was better."
 
From there, Mohamed relentlessly networked, contacting friends who still lived in Sudan and were swimmers. They put him in touch with various coaches, and through Facebook and several unanswered phone calls, he finally got in contact with the right
people.
 
Mohamed put his son on a plane and flew him to Sudan, where his uncle got him a passport. Now holding dual citizenship, Ziyad was able to compete for Sudan immediately, and swam in the CANA Junior African Swimming Championships in Tunesia in September, 2019.
 
Ziyad competed in three events – the 50, 100, and 200-meter backstroke – and captured silver in all three. His adopted country was ecstatic.
 
When Ziyad exited a plane in Sudan, he was greeted by a red carpet and top Sudanese officials.
 
"I got to see firsthand that they do care about swimming and there's a lot of joy that comes from these medals and the success that I'm having," Ziyad said.
 
While competing in the XVI Africa Aquatic Championships this May, Ziyad won gold in both the 100 and 200-meter backstroke. Standing on the podium, it was the first time the Sudanese National Anthem had been played at an event of that magnitude.
 
That was a special moment for Mohamed. Sudan officially gained independence in 1956 and was plagued with three lengthy civil wars, the second lasting from 1983-2005. In the years since, the country has enjoyed relative stability, allowing for the creation of an Olympic and National team. Sudan won its first Olympic medal in the 2008 when Ismail Ahmed Ismail won silver in the men's 800-meter in track and field.
 
"It meant so much, I watched the award ceremony many times," Mohamed said. "The reason why, I grew up like many school kids saying the national anthem every day in school. But having been gone almost 30 years, I don't get to hear it very often. We (Sudanese people) always look at other countries getting their national anthem played. It's just a weird thing when you finally listen to it, you are so proud. At a time when there is a Civil War! This event got people together, through Facebook, the media, and newspapers. People forgot about the war - here was one thing that got them together! It almost makes me want to cry thinking about it even now."
 
Unlike many athletes who prepare for the Olympics, Ziyad doesn't feel the normal pressure of competition. He knows he is a long shot for a medal. The pressure he carries with him is the pressure to perform for Sudan and the people of Sudan. His own personal goals are to reach the semifinal and just enjoy exploring Paris and experiencing an event with the scale and magnitude of the Olympic Games.